Wire-drawing machine.



No. 742,987. PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

J. A. HORTON. WIRE DRAWING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 20. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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No.742,987. PATENTED N013, 1903.

J. A. HORTON. WIRE DRAWING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. 1902. N0MODEL. 6 SHEBTSHEET 2.

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No. 742,987. 7 PATENTED NOV. a, 1903. J. A. HORTON. WIRE DRAWINGMACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20- 1902.

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No. 742,9 7. PATENTED ov. 3, 1903'.

J. A. HORTON.

WIRE DRAWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILED'NOV. 20. 1902.

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No. 742,987. PATENTED NOV. 3, 1-903.

J. A. HORTON.

WIRE'D'RAWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1902.

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No. 742,987., iatented November e, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JAMES A. HORTON, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO IROQUOISMACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A OORPO' RATION OF NEW YORK.

WIRE-DRAWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 742,987, dated November3, 1903.

Application filed November 20,1902. $erial No. 132,072. (No model) ToaZZ whom it may 001L13 has been found impossible to keep these rel- Beit known that 1, JAMES A. HORTON, of ative speeds regulated absolutely,because Providence, in the county of Providence and of changes in thediameter of the holes in the State of Rhode Island, have inventedcertain dies due to wear and because ofyariation in new and usefulImprovementsin Wire-Drawthe stock. It is common therefore in these ingMachines, of which the following is a continuous-pass machines for thetractionspecification. drums to be going very much faster than the Thisinvention has for its object to provide wire. This has the same efiectasin a winda practical system for drawing wire continulass where theleading-0E rope is slackened [O ously or in one operation through aseries of that is to say, the coil of wire around the dies whereby itsdiameter is reduced by drum loosens, and the drum rotates within stagesand its length correspondingly inthe'coil. Not only does this have aneffect creased. The usual method of drawing wire of producinggreatinequalities in the distriis to pass it through a single die andwind it bntion of strains on the wire, resulting in fre- 15 upon adrawing-drum or block. Then if quent breakages thereof, but the abrasionof 05 its diameter is to be further reduced it is rethe wire by therotation of the drum within moved from the drawing-drum, put onto a itswrap wears off small particles, which are reel, and subjected to arepetition of the liable to collect in the die and distort or aboveprocess with the use of a smaller die. scratch the same or decreasethediamet-er of 20 Each successive operation or pass therethe wire. Moreparticularly, however, the fore requires the rehandling of the wire andmovement of the drum will wear ofi the prothe consumption ofconsiderable time and latecting or lubricating coating of the wire. bor.The continuous process whereby the This is particularly objectionable indrawing wire passes through several dies in a series steel wire. Steelwire before it is drawnis 25 and around a traction-drum between eachtreated with a thin coating, which is whitepair of dies, which drum thewire encircles wash in the larger sizes and copper or softafter themanner of a rope around a windlassmetal plating in the smaller sizes,for the purdrum, whereby the wire is given its whole or pose ofpreventing contact between the die a very considerable reduction in onecontinand the body of the wire. If a naked steel 0 nous operation, wouldeffect a considerable wire is drawn through a die, which, exsaving intime and labor, but has not come cept in the smaller sizes, is made outof into as general use as would otherwise follow steel, the steel wirecoming in contact with if the following difficulties could be avoided.the steel of the die will quickly spoil the In each passage through oneof the dies of die. It has been found in practice that this 5 thecontinuous series the wire receives acerobjection can be largely, if notentirely, tain elongation, depending upon the relation avoided bycoating the steel wire with aprobetween the diameter of the wire beforeit tecting-coating. Many different kinds of passes through the die andthe diameter of compounds are employed for this purpose; the hole in thedie, and the next succeeding but they all substantially depend upon the40 traction-drum around which the wire passes, principle of preventingdirect contact be- 0 must have a peripheral speed corresponding tweenthe steel of the wire and the die. It to the linear speed of the wire,or, stated in has been further found that with a proper other words, theperipheral speed of the drum working apparatus one coating is sufficientsucceeding the die must exceed that of the fora largenumberofdrawingactionsthrough 5 drum preceding the die by an amountequal single dies, but that in the continuous procto the elongation ofthe wire in the die. All ess the friction between the intermediate thesuccessive traction-drums must therefore drums rubs oh" and destroysthis coating, and have'dift'erent speeds, which in practice are henceinterferes with the proper repeated refigured tobe slightly faster thanthe correct duction in the series of dies. To overcome 50 speed withperfect dies and material; but it this difficulty, the intermediate ortraction roo drums are made as follows: Each of the drums consists of awire-forwarding means and a driving mechanism having an automaticallyregulating or compensating connection with said means, whereby theslippage between the engaging means and the wire is substantiallyavoided and whereby the slippage necessary to regulate or compensate forthe variance in the diameter of the dies and the inequalities in thematerial or other causes takes place between the wire forwarding meansand the driving mechanism. This automatic regulation or compensation ismeasured or determined by the call of the wire beyond the particularintermediate drum or by the tension of the wire. The driving mechanismis preferably run at a constant speed slightly in excess of the properspeed. In this way abrasion of the wire is avoided.

In carrying my invention into practice in the way now best known to me Imake the connection between the wire forwarding means and the drivingmechanism a friction connection, the pressure in which is automaticallyregulated by the tension of the wire. In the specific construction thewireforwarding means consists of a number of segments or shoescollectively having a face or surface which engages and forwards thewire. These shoes are mounted on a revolving hub actuated by suitablegearing, which hub and its gearing constitute the driving mechanism forthe wire-forwarding means. The wire is wrapped or given one or moreturns around the wire-forwarding means, whereby the frictionalengagement or connection between the wire-forwarding means and thedriving mechanism is automatically regulated by the tension of the wire.

My invention also consists in the drum as an improved feature, which,although I have not shown it, can be embodied in a singledrum machine, anumber of which may be used in series with certain of the resultsattained by the multiple machine hereinafter described.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents'a plan view of awire-drawing machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2represents a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 represents an axial verticalsection. Fig. 4represents a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a sectionon line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7represents a plan view of one of the idlefriction-wheels. Fig. 8 represents a side elevation thereof. Fig. 9represents a section on line 9 9 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 represents avertical section of one of the traction-drums on an enlarged scale. Fig.11 represents a side elevation thereof. Fig. 12 represents a plan viewof a portion of the annular wire-engaging device on one of the drums.Fig. 13 represents a section on line 13 13 of Fig. 12. Fig. 14represents a vertical section through the spindle of one of the drivenfriction-wheels. Fig. 15 represents a section at right angles to Fig.14. Fig. 16 represents a section on line 16 16 of Fig. 14. Fig. 17represents a section on line 17 17 of Fig. 16. Fig. 18 represents adetail perspective view of the trunnioned portion of the sleevesurrounding the spindle. Fig. 19 represents a section on line 19 19 ofFig. 15. Fig. 20 represents a section on line 20 20 of Fig. 15. Fig. 21represents a detail perspective view of a member at the head of thespindle. Fig. 22 represents an axial section of one of thereceiving-drums.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings, is the machine-frame, of circular outline, in thecenter of which is journaled a vertical shaft 31, driven in any suitablemanner. ()u said shaft is keyed a driving friction-wheel 32, and aroundsaid shaft in an annular series are arranged vertical shafts or spindles33, to the lower ends of which are keyed driven friction-wheels 34 andabove these wheels toothed pinions 35. Between the wheels 32 34 onhorizontal spin dles 36 are mounted intermediate friction wheels orrollers 37, with tractive surfaces composed of leather or other suitablematerial. By means of screws 38, fixed against axial movement inbearings 39 on the frame and engaging nuts 40 on the outer ends of thespindles 36, the rollers 37 may be moved between the wheels 32 34 towardor away from thecentralshaft3l. Suchmovementofaroller 37 varies itsradial position on the respective wheels 32 34 inversely, so that thespeed at which the wheel 34 is driven from the wheel 32 through theroller 37 may be varied as desired, the speed of any wheel 34 beingvariable independently of that of the other wheels 34. In order that anywheel 34 may be. arrested by lifting it from its roller 37, I surroundeach shaft 33 with a sleeve 41, held from rotation by a pin 42. Thesleeve has studs, or trunnions 43 43, projecting into inclined slots 4444 on a cam 45, adapted to be oscillated by a handle 46. Suchoscillation produces a vertical movement of the sleeve 41, which istransmitted to the shaft 33 by means of a nut 480, abutting the upperend of the sleeve and mounted on a screw-stud 49, said stud having ahead 48 at its lower end connected with a head 470 on the shaft 33 by apair of flanged half-collars 47 47. By means of the nut 480 the axialrelation of the sleeve 41 and shaft 33 may be adjusted. 490 is anoil-duct traversing the bearing formed by the above-mentioned parts.

Alongside of the several shafts or spindles 33 are other verticalspindles or holders 5O 50, having gears 51 51 keyed to their lower endsand meshing with the pinions 35. I have shown the machine equipped withnine spindles 33 and nine spindles 50, divided up among three drawingunits. On every third spindle there is a wire receiving or storing drum52, having a forked coupling member 53, engaged with a complementalcoupling member formed as astud 54:, projecting from the spindle 50,whereby the drum is removdles 50 of each drawing unit are mounted,

traction-drums 55, having forked members 56 engaged with the studs 54:,whereby said drums are removably attached to and caused to rotate withthe spindles. On the outer rim of the frame 30 are mounted brackets 57,carrying spindles or holders 58, on which are mounted loosely-rotatingdelivering-reels 59, one for each drawing unit, from which the wireunwinds. From the delivery-reel 59 of each unit the wire 60 passesthrough a drawing-die 61, fixed vertically in the frame 30, then takesone or more turns around one of the traction-drums 55, then passesthrough a second die 61, then takes one or more turns around the nextsucceeding traction-dru m'55, then passes through a third die 61, and isfinally coiled up on the receiving-drum 52. The apertures of the diesare graded in diameter, each succeeding die being smaller than the nextpreceding one, so that the diameter of the wire is reduced by stages inpassing through the drawing unit and its length increased at each stage.To meet this increase in length, the second one of the traction-drums 55in the series is speeded faster than the first, and the receiving-drum52 is speeded faster than the second traction-drum, the object being tohave the peripheral speed of the drum correspond approximately, but tobe slightly in excess of the linear speed of the wire.

The traction drums 55 are made up of separable upper and lower portions62 63, screwed together and loosely confining between them a series ofseparate segments or shoes 64 64:, forming a sectional annularwireengagingportion. These shoes on each drum are carried around bytheir frictional en gagement with the annular seat 65 on the drum,against which they reside, and the amount of this friction obviouslydepends upon the inward radial pressure exerted by the coils of wireengaging the shoes 64:. This pressure in turn depends upon the tensionof that portion of the wire which leads olf from the drum into the nextsucceeding die. If the linear speed of this portion of the wire is lessthan that of the periphery of the drum ata diameter equal to that of thewire-engaging surface of the shoes, the coil will loosen and diminishthe frictional contact of the shoes'with their seat 65. This looseningof the wire will also diminish its own friction against the shoes; butthe shoes will nevertheless follow the wire and any slip which occurswill take place between the shoes and the drum rather than between theshoes and the wire, thus avoiding abrasion of the'wire. This may besomewhat due to the fact that the line contact of the wire-coils gives abetter gripping action between the shoes and the wire than surfacecontactgives between theshoesand the drum; but neglecting thisand alsoneglecting any effect which centrifugal force may have in causing theshoes to cling to the wire it is evident that with equal frictionbetween the wire and the shoes and between the shoes and the drum thefirst friction--namely, the outer onewill be a force acting on a longerarm from the center of rotation than the arm on which the inner frictionacts. The outer friction therefore prevails over the inner friction andthe shoes must follow the wire and slip against the drum when the wireand drum have different speeds. During such slippage the drum does notlose its propelling efiect.

on the wire, for it will propel the wire in proportion to the frictionbetween the shoes and the drum. It will be observed that the segments orshoes 64 64: collectively constitute a wire-forwarding'means orsectional supplemental friction-driver adapted to slip circumferentiallyon said driving mechanism and having an automatically-regulating orcompensating frictional connection with its driving mechanism or drum55, regulated by the call or demand of the wire for being drawn, or, inother words, regulated according to the tension of the wire. I havefound that the shorter these segmental shoes are made the smoother andmore uniform will be their motion on the drum within their grasp and thelonger they are the more jerky, spasmodic, or step by step will be theirmotion on the drum. If the wire-forwarding device is madein a one-partring cut open at one point only, and therefore resilient, the motion ortravel of said ring on the drum would be step by step, spasmodic, orjerky in a marked degree, owing to the factthat when theopening in thering comes into position of the wire line from die to die the amount offriction between the ring and drum is much greater than when the openside is in a position in its rotation opposite or farthest'removed fromthe wire line. This jerky or spasmodic action is caused by theelasticity of the ring. When the ring has its open side in the wireline, a given tension on the wire will close the ring much tighter onthe drum than when the open side is farthest away from the wire line.This is due to the fact that the same tension of wire would have tocontend with its own friction for the distance of half-way around thedrum. This tightening and loosening would take place once in eachrevolution of the wire-forwarding means and would cause a jerky orstep-by-step motion and an intermittent strain on the wire. To avoidthis, I use short shoes and a number ofthem instead of an elastic ring.To limit the outward movement of the shoes and prevent their outwarddisplacement by centrifugal force, I provide theportions 62 63 of thedrum with shoulders 630, (see Fig. 10,) which project over the outerfaces of the sections 64.

The several drums 52 and 55 are mounted wire.

in a liquor trough or receptacle 66 of annular form and continuousaround the frame 30, designed to contain a lubricating liquorin which Iimmerse the wire-engaging portions of the drums 55, the holes or eyes inthe dies, and the wire as it passes between the said drums and dies.Such immersion of the wire in its transit to the dies lubricates theshoes, the wire, and the dies and carries ed the heat created by thefriction between wire and dies. This-trough has a continuous outerchannel 67, encircling the frame, and small circular inner portions 68,containing the drums 52 and 55 and connected by straight channels 69, inwhich the dies 61 are located. The trough portions 68 connect by shortchannels 70 with the channel 67. A supply of lubricating liquor ismaintained through a pipe 700, having branches 701 in the portions ofthe trough 66 occupied by the several drawing unitsandoverflows into alower-trough 71 through removable overflow-pipes 72, placed indrainage-apertures in the floor of the channel 67and of such a height asto maintain the liquor at the desired level to immerse the I arrange thefloor of the channel 67 at a lower level than the floors of the troughportions 68, so that any sediment in the liquor may collect at thebottom of the channel 67, where the liquor is comparatively undisturbedby the rotation of the drawing-drums. This channel 67 may be flushedfrom time to time by temporarily removing the overflowtubes 72. In orderto allow the wire to run dry onto the receiving-drums 52, it isnecessary to dam off those portions of the trough 66 containing saidreceiving-drums, which may be done by means of removable dams 73 73,located in the channels 67 and 69, the dies 61 also acting as dams inthe channels 69. The portions of the trough thus shut off are keptdrained by the removal of their overflow-tubes 72.

The liquid lubricant presented as above described to thefriction-surfaces of the drums 55 and shoes 64 insures a regular orcontinuous slip between the shoes and their seat whenever the conditionsrequire such slip. I have found that if said surfaces are not lubricatedthe slip is liable to be intermittent or step by step, the surfacesalternately adhering to and releasing each other, so that the wire issubjected to varying strains. This objection is obviated by theproduction of means for lubricating the friction-surfaces. I believemyself to be the first to combine in a Wire-drawing machine Wire-forwarding means, a driving mechanism therefor, said forwarding meansand driving mechanism having friction-surfaces adapted to slip on eachother, and means for lubricating said surfaces to insure a continuousslip as distinguished from a step-by-step or jerky slip. I do not,therefore, desire to limit myself to the described liquor-trough as themeans for applying the lubricant, it being obvious that the lubricantmay be applied to the said friction-surfaces by any other suitable meanswithout departing from the spirit of my invention. The preferredlubricant is water containing soap in solution.

With a machine constructed as above described I am enabled to subject abatch of wire to nine passes on the one machine without rearranging thedies. This could of course be accomplished in one continuous processinstead of three; but in so doing a loss of time would result, owing tothe practical limitation as to the highest speed at which the wire canbe passed through a die. The average speed of a series of nine drumswould be much lower than that of three series of three drums each. Iaccordingly take the wire from the receivingspindle or holder of theunit through which it has been drawn and place it in the next unit ofthe same or a similar machine, this being accomplished by removing thereceiving-drum 52 bodily from its spindle or holder and placing saiddrum on the delivery spindle or holder 58 of the next unit. The severalreceiving-drums and delivery-reels of the different units are madeinterchangeable on the spindles of the other units, so that anydelivery-reel can be substituted for any receiving-drum, and vice versa,whereby I avoid direct handling of the wire, which has a tendency tocause it to snarl. It is apparent also that by reason of theinterchangeability of the receiving-drums 52 and traction-drums on eachothers spindles or holders the number of drawingdrums to a unit may bevaried. Thus if all of the spindles but one were to carry traction-drums55, and that one a receiving-drum with the dies properly arranged, thewhole machinewould be a single drawing unit ofnine drums. Converselywith receivingdrums on each spindle the machine would contain ninesingle-pass units, the radial dies 610 being permissibly used in thiscase.

With this machine I am enabled to realize a much greater maximum linearspeed of the wire than has heretofore been found practicable, lherebyincreasing production, and I also improve the quality of the Wire andincrease the life of the dies.

' Various modifications may be made in the described structure of myapparatus without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim 1. In a Wire-drawing machine, a die, a drum, a wire-forwardingmeans adapted to slip circumferentially on said drumand frictionallydriven at the speed required by the call or v tension of the wire, andmeans whereby the friction-surfaces of the drum and the wireforwardingmeans may be uniformly and continuously lubricated.

2. In a wire-drawing machine, a die, a wiredrawing drum, driven at apredetermined speed, a compressible wire-forwarding means composed ofindependent segmental'shoes loosely'encircling the drum and adapted todistribute uniformly around the drum the pressure caused by the call ortension of the wire, whereby evenness of speed in each r0- tation of thewire-forwarding means is in sured.

3. In a wire-drawing machine, adie, a wiredrawing drum, means forrotating the drum, a wire-forwarding means consisting of segmental shoesloosely mounted on said drum, and means for preventing outwarddisplacement of the shoes, the shoes beingindependently movableinwardlyto cause them to be frictionally driven by the drum according tothe call or tension of the wire at any speed less than that of the drum.

4. In a wire-drawing machine, a die, a drum, a wire-forwarding meansadapted to slip circumferentially onpthe drum, and a' liquidholdingreceptacle formed to hold a body of lubricating liquid in position'toimmerse the friction-surfaces of the drum and the wireforwarding means.

5. In a wire-drawing machine, a substantially vertical drum-holder and asubstantially vertical reel-holder, and a drum or reel deviceinterchangeable on said holders, the drum-holderhavinga coupling memberwhich is engageable with and detachable from a complemental couplingmember on the drum or reel by a vertical movement of the latter.

6. In a wire-drawing machine, a series of drawing units comprisingdelivering-reels and substantially vertical holders therefor, andreceiving or storing drums and substantially vertical holders therefor,the reels and drums having coupling members while the drum-holders havecomplemental coupling members, the said reels and drums beingrespectively interchangeable on each others holders.

'7. In a wire-drawing machine, the combination of wire-drawing dies, awire-drawing drum, mechanism for rotating said dru m,wirein g thestoring-drum at a relatively low speed and for then-increasing the speedof its rotation to a fixed limit.

8. In a wire-drawing machine, a die, one or more wire-drawing drums withmeans for driving the same, Wire-forwarding means adapted to slipcircumferentially on said drum, 2. wire-storing drum and means fordriving the same, and means for adjusting the relative speed of theseveral drums to correspond with the elongation of the wire due to itsreduction through the several dies.

9. In a wire-drawing machine, a fluid-receptacle having adrum-containing portion and a deeper sediment-collecting portion, thelatter being provided with a drainage-aperture, and a removableoverflow-tube in said aperture having its intake above the floor levelof said drum-containing portion.

10. In a wire-drawing machine, a fluid-receptacle, a series ofwire-drawing drums therein, removable means to isolate a portion of saidreceptacle containing one of the drums, and means to drain said portion,whereby the drum in said portion may be run without lubrication.

In testimony whereof I have aifixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.-

JAMES A. HORTON. Witnesses:

G. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON.

